Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek: Who are the leading women’s title contenders at Wimbledon?

Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have won the last five women’s Grand Slam titles between them.

So impressive have the trio been that there has been talk that they have started to form a ‘Big Three’ in women’s tennis.

But will they make it six from the last six at Wimbledon? It does not look guaranteed.

And former Wimbledon semi-finalist Sabalenka lost in straight sets in her second grass match of the season in Berlin last week.

So who are the true Wimbledon contenders? We assess the hopes of all the leading challengers.

Elena Rybakina

Rybakina showed at Wimbledon that with her big serve and powerful groundstrokes she is a force on grass. If she’s healthy then she should be the one to beat, but her withdrawals from the French Open and Eastbourne raise questions about whether she will be able to go on another deep run.

Aryna Sabalenka

If Rybakina is the Wimbledon favourite despite her illness setback, then Sabalenka is not far behind.

Like Rybakina, Australian Open champion Sabalenka has the power game to succeed on grass, as she showed in making the semis at Wimbledon in 2021.

She has come a long way since then, most importantly improving her confidence in her serve and her all-round game.

And after not being able to play Wimbledon last year due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, she should be eager to impress, especially as she could get to world No. 1 for the first time depending how both she and Iga Swiatek fare.

Iga Swiatek

Is this the season Iga Swiatek properly gets to grips with grass?

In a bid to do so she has opted to play in Bad Homburg this week, which is the first time since 2021 that she has played a grass event ahead of Wimbledon.

She still seems uncertain about her game completely translating to the surface, so much could depend on her draw.

If she can get a few matches under her belt and build some momentum then she could go on a run. But if she runs into Sabalenka and Rybakina she would likely not start as the favourite.

Ons Jabeur

Ons Jabeur not only made the Wimbledon final last year, but took the first set against Rybakina before losing in three.

Two months later she lost out again in the US Open final to Swiatek.

She is keen to change the script this summer.

“The feeling that never goes away – it’s always there,” she reflected on her 2022 Grand Slam final defeats before playing in Eastbourne.

“Definitely, you want to change the scenario in that episode. Maybe, we will see. For me, the most important thing is I feel healthy and enjoy my game on grass.”

Jabeur’s form this season does not make her an obvious pick to make the final again. She had injury problems to start the year and has only shown flashes of her best.

However, she enjoys playing on grass and has experience on the surface, both of which count for a lot.

Petra Kvitova

It was Kvitova’s sixth grass title and although she played down her Wimbledon chances afterwards, she has to be in the conversation.

The 33-year-old hasn’t been to the Wimbledon quarter-finals since winning the title for a second time in 2014.

Karolina Muchova

Less than weeks after making the French Open final – and having professed her liking to playing on grass – Karolina Muchova is still under the radar heading into Wimbledon.

Muchova was took out Sabalenka in the semis in Paris and then lost to Swiatek in the final in three sets.

Muchova has made two Wimbledon quarter-finals and said after the French Open she prefers “fast surfaces” like grass over clay.

Muchova hasn’t played a grass event since the French Open but should be full of confidence heading into Wimbledon.